This will be a good way for everyone to know what is going on with Abby. I'll try to update this as much as possible.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

"You need to have a thick skin"

We spoke with Dr. Nuemann (neonatologist) and Dr. King this morning. Abby is doing well. The C-Pap is helping her. It actually helps her because now she doesn't have to burn extra calories trying to breath. The doctor said that in the long run, this is relatively minor, and that the road ahead will be more difficult.

First some good news: she is off the "tanning" lights and they don't think she has any infections.

The following may seem confusing, because none of us are cardiologists.

When babies are born, the blood pressure in the lungs is very high, due to the fact that, in utero, we get oxygen from the Mom. After birth, the blood pressure slowly lowers in all babies. This is happening to Abigail. Except in her case, this "normal" occurrence is having negative consequences due to her unique anatomy.

Due to 1 part of her heart defects, (double outlet of the right ventricle) too much blood is going to her lungs. This causes her lungs to fill with fluids and prevents breathing. Most likely, Abby will need to get a band put around her pulmonary artery. That is the artery that sends blood to the lungs. The band would constrict the flow to her lungs. The doctor said there is a good chance her breathing will continue to deteriorate, and eventually she would need a ventilator. At that point, she would have the band put on the artery. From a cardiac surgeon's perspective, putting a band on is a piece of cake.

All of this is a big question mark at this point. If she continues to do OK and to gain weight on the C-pap, then the band won't be needed. She may need to increase the C-pap and have supplemental oxygen. We just have to wait and see. We really don't know when any of this will happen.